3TACJC 

NNEX 


s[  EPITOME 
v  THEOSOPHY 

By  WILLIAM  Q.  JUDGE 


WITH  AN  HISTORICAL  NOTE 


PRICE 

25  Cents 


Theosophy  Company 


Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
1922 


An  Epitome 
of  Theosophy 

By  William  Q.  Judge 


WITH  AN  HISTORICAL  NOTE 


The  Theosophy  Company 

Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
1922 


Historical  Note 

d~* 

/Jj  N  EPITOME  OF  THEOSOPHY  is  the  earliest 

f\  /-jj   as  it  remains  the  best,  condensed,  yet  withal 
L    /    I    su^stantive  treatment  of  the  Great  Message 
^•—^-ut.    of  the  doctrines  of  the  Wisdom-Religion,  or 
Theosophy. 

It  was  originally  issued  as  "A  Theosophical 
Tract"  by  the  Aryan  Theosophical  Society  of  New 
York  City  in  December,  1887.  This  "Tract"  was 
printed  in  full  in  Mr.  Judge's  magazine,  The  Path, 
Volume  II,  No.  10,  January,  1888, — a  brief  or 
digest  of  six  pages,  rather  than  a  treatment;  a 
table  rather  than  its  contents. 

The  foundation  of  The  Path,  the  return  of 
Madame  Blavatsky  to  active  effort  in  the  West  by 
her  residence  in  London  and  the  commencement 
of  her  magazine,  Lucifer;  the  public  announce- 
ment of  the  Esoteric  Section  of  the  Theosophical 
Society;  the  foundation  of  the  Blavatsky  Lodge 
at  London;  the  publication  of  The  Secret  Doc- 
trine; the  organization  of  the  American  Section  of 
the  Theosophical  Society — all  these  occurred  con- 
temporaneously in  the  years  1886-1888,  and  be- 
tokened a  new  orbit  of  action,  a  great  revival  of 
Theosophy  pure  and  simple  in  the  Western  World. 
An  Epitome  of  Theosophy,  even  in  its  original 
immature  'form,  had  no  small  share  in  this  revival. 
So  great  was  its  circulation  in  the  United  States,  so 
great  the  need  elsewhere,  that  the  Theosophical 
Publication  Society  in  England  requested  Mr. 
Judge  to  revise  the  leaflet  for  issuance  in  Great 
Britain. 

[3] 


HISTORICAL     NOTE 

Mr.  Judge  accordingly  re-wrote  entirely  the 
original  Tract  as  put  together  at  his  suggestion  by 
Mr.  Alexander  Fullerton  and  others,  enlarging  it 
to  a  booklet,  and  sent  the  manuscript  to  the  Theo- 
sophical  Publication  Society  at  London.  Its  man- 
agers wrote  back  that  the  treatment  was  entirely 
too  "deep"  for  the  average  mind;  that  what  was 
needed  was  something  "light."  Mr.  Judge  replied 
to  this  criticism  in  characteristic  fashion.  His  an- 
swer will  be  found  in  Volume  II  of  the  Letters 
That  Have  Helped  Me,  in  No.  IV  of  that  book. 
He  says  (in  part)  : — 

"It  is  with  great  regret  that  I  learn  from  recent 
London  advices  that  the  Managers  of  the  Society 
there  think  that  the  Tract,  'Epitome  of  Theos- 
ophy,'  which  appeared  in  The  Path,  is  'too  ad- 
vanced to  be  reprinted  now,  and  that  what  is 
needed  is  a  'stepping-stone  from  fiction  to  phil- 
osophy.' 

"Permit  me  to  say  that  I  cannot  agree  with  this 
opinion,  nor  with  the  policy  which  is  outlined  by 
it.  The  opinion  is  erroneous,  and  the  policy  is 
weak  as  well  as  being  out  of  accord  with  that  of 
the  Masters. 

"If  I  had  made  up  that  Epitome  wholly  myself 
I  might  have  some  hesitation  in  speaking  this  way, 
but  I  did  not.  The  general  idea  of  such  a  series  of 
tracts  was  given  to  me  some  two  years  ago,  and 
this  one  was  prepared  by  several  students  who 
know  what  the  people  need.  It  is  at  once  compre- 
hensive and  fundamental.  It  covers  most  of  the 
ground,  and  if  any  sincere  reader  grasps  it  he  will 
have  food  for  his  reflection  of  the  sort  needed. 

[4] 


HISTORICAL     NOTE 

"If,  however,  we  are  to  proceed  by  a  mollified 
passage  from  folly  (which  is  fiction)  to  philos- 
ophy, then  we  at  once  diverge  from  the  path 
marked  out  for  us  by  the  Masters;  and  for  this 
statement  I  can  refer  to  letters  from  Them  in  my 
hands.  I  need  only  draw  your  attention  to  the 
fact  that  when  those  Masters  began  to  cause  Their 
servants  to  give  out  matter  in  India,  They  did  not 
begin  with  fiction,  but  with  stern  facts.  We  are 
not  seeking  to  cater  to  a  lot  of  fiction  readers  and 
curiosity  hunters,  but  to  the  pressing  needs  of  earn- 
est minds.  Fiction  readers  never  influenced  a 
nation's  progress.  And  these  earnest  minds  do 
not  desire,  and  ought  not  to  be  treated  to  a  gruel 
which  the  sentence  just  quoted  would  seem  to  indi- 
cate as  their  fate. 

"I  therefore  respectfully  urge  upon  you  that  the 
weak  and  erroneous  policy  to  which  I  have  re- 
ferred shall  not  be  followed,  but  that  strong  lines 
of  action  be  taken,  and  that  we  leave  fiction  to  the 
writers  who  profit  by  it  or  who  think  that  thus 
people's  minds  can  be  turned  to  the  Truth.  If  a 
contrary  line  be  adopted  then  we  will  not  only  dis- 
appoint the  Master  (if  that  be  possible)  but  we 
will  in  a  very  large  sense  be  guilty  of  making  false 
representations  to  a  growing  body  of  subscribers 
here  as  elsewhere." 

These  wise  counsels  of  Mr.  Judge,  fortified  by 
the  advice  of  Madame  Blavatsky,  prevailed  with 
the  Managers  of  the  T.P.S.,  and  the  Epitome  was 
accordingly  issued  in  the  summer  of  1888.  Subse- 
quentlv  the  work  has  been  reissued  and  circulated 
by  various  Theosophical  bodies. 

As  we  feel  that  the  present  cycle  of  effort  in  the 
Theosophical  Movement  closely  parallels  the  be- 

[5] 


HISTORICAL     NOTE 

ginnings  of  the  great  renaissance  of  1886-1888, 
and  that  a  whole  new  generation  of  incarnated 
Souls  are  wrestling  with  the  same  problems,  and 
suffer  from  the  same  needs,  we  think  it  timely  and 
fitting  to  make  available  to  them  this  wonderful 
Epitome  of  the  only  doctrines  which  have  power 
to  heal,  by  teaching,  the  nations.  Hence  the  pres- 
ent Edition. 


[6] 


An  Epitome  of  Theosophy 

THEOSOPHY,  the  Wisdom-Religion,  has  ex- 
isted from  immemorial  time.     It  offers  us  a 
theory  of  nature  and  of  life  which  is  founded 
upon  knowledge  acquired  by  the  Sages  of  the  past, 
more  especially  those  of  the  East;  and  its  higher 
students  claim  that  this  knowledge  is  not  imagined 
or  inferred,  but  that  it  is  a  knowledge  of  facts 
seen  and  known  by  those  who  are  willing  to  com- 
ply with  the  conditions  requisite '  for  seeing  and 
knowing. 

Theosophy,  meaning  knowledge  of  or  about 
God  (not  in  the  sense  of  a  personal  anthropomor- 
phic God,  but  in  that  of  divine  "godly"  wisdom), 
and  the  term  "God"  being  universally  accepted  as 
including  the  whole  of  both  the  known  and  the 
unknown,  it  follows  that  "Theosophy"  must  imply 
wisdom  respecting  the  absolute ;  and,  since  the  ab- 
solute is  without  beginning  and  eternal,  this  wis- 
dom must  have  existed  always.  Hence  Theosophy 
is  sometimes  called  the  Wisdom-Religion,  because 
from  immemorial  time  it  has  had  knowledge  of 
all  the  laws  governing  the  spiritual,  the  moral,  and 
the  material. 

The  theory  of  nature  and  of  life  which  it  offers 
is  not  one  that  was  at  first  speculatively  laid  down 
and  then  proved  by  adjusting  facts  or  conclusions 
to  fit  it;  but  is  an  explanation  of  existence,  cosmic 
and  individual,  derived  from  knowledge  reached 
by  those  who  have  acquired  the  power  to  see  be- 
hind the  curtain  that  hides  the  operations  of  nature 
from  the  ordinary  mind.  Such  Beings  are  called 
Sages,  using  the  term  in  its  highest  sense.  Of  late 

[7] 


AN      EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

they  have  been  called  Mahatmas  and  Adepts.  In 
ancient  times  they  were  known  as  the  Rishis  and 
Maharishis — the  last  being  a  word  that  means 
Great  Rishis. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  these  exalted  beings,  or 
Sages,  have  existed  only  in  the  East.  They  are 
known  to  have  lived  in  all  parts  of  the  globe,  in 
obedience  to  the  cyclic  laws  referred  to  below. 
But  as  far  as  concerns  the  present  development  of 
the  human  race  on  this  planet,  they  now  are  to  be 
found  in  the  East,  although  the  fact  may  be  that 
some  of  them  had,  in  remote  times,  retreated  from 
even  the  American  shores. 

There  being  of  necessity  various  grades  among 
the  students  of  this  Wisdom-Religion,  it  stands  to 
reason  that  those  belonging  to  the  lower  degrees 
are  able  to  give  out  only  so  much  of  the  knowledge 
as  is  the  appanage  of  the  grade  they  have  reached, 
and  depend,  to  some  extent,  for  further  informa- 
tion upon  students  who  are  higher  yet.  It  is  these 
higher  students  for  whom  the  claim  is  asserted 
that  their  knowledge  is  not  mere  inference,  but 
that  it  concerns  realities  seen  and  known  by  them. 
While  some  of  them  are  connected  with  the  Theo- 
sophical  Society,  they  are  yet  above  it.  The  power 
to  see  and  absolutely  know  such  laws  is  surrounded 
by  natural  inherent  regulations  which  must  be  com- 
plied with  as  conditions  precedent;  and  it  is,  there- 
fore, not  possible  to  respond  to  the  demand  of  the 
worldly  man  for  an  immediate  statement  of  this 
wisdom,  insomuch  as  he  could  not  comprehend  it 
until  those  conditions  are  fulfilled.  As  this  knowl- 
edge deals  with  laws  and  states  of  matter,  and  of 
consciousness  undreamed  of  by  the  "practical" 
Western  world,  it  can  only  be  grasped,  piece  by 

[8] 


AN       EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

piece,  as  the  student  pushes  forward  the  demoli- 
tion of  his  preconceived  notions,  that  arc  due 
either  to  inadequate  or  to  erroneous  theories.  It 
is  claimed  by  these  higher  students  that,  in  the 
Occident  especially,  a  false  method  of  reasoning 
has  for  many  centuries  prevailed,  resulting  in  a 
universal  habit  of  mind  which  causes  men  to  look 
upon  many  effects  as  causes,  and  to  regard  that 
which  is  real  as  the  unreal,  putting  meanwhile  the 
unreal  in  the  place  of  the  real.  As  a  minor  exam- 
ple, the  phenomena  of  mesmerism  and  clairvoyance 
have,  until  lately,  been  denied  by  Western  science, 
yet  there  have  always  been  numerous  persons  who 
know  for  themselves,  by  incontrovertible  intro- 
spective evidence,  the  truth  of  these  phenomena, 
and,  in  some  instances,  understand  their  cause  and 
rationale. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  fundamental 
propositions  of  Theosophy: 

The  spirit  in  man  is  the  only  real  and  perma- 
nent part  of  his  being;  the  rest  of  his  nature  being 
variously  compounded.  And  since  decay  is  inci- 
dent to  all  composite  things,  everything  in  man  but 
his  spirit  is  impermanent. 

Further,  the  universe  being  one  thing  and  not 
diverse,  and  everything  within  it  being  connected 
with  the  whole  and  with  every  other  thing  therein, 
of  which  upon  the  upper  plane  (below  referred 
to)  there  is  a  perfect  knowledge,  no  act  or  thought 
occurs  without  each  portion  of  the  great  whole 
perceiving  and  noting  it.  Hence  all  are  insepar- 
ably bound  together  by  the  tie  of  Brotherhood. 

This  first  fundamental  proposition  of  Theos- 
ophy postulates  that  the  universe  is  not  an  aggre- 
gation of  diverse  unities  but  that  it  is  one  whole. 

[9] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

This  whole  is  what  is  denominated  "Deity"  by 
Western  Philosophers,  and  "Para-Brahm"  by  the 
Hindu  Vedantins.  It  may  be  called  the  Unmani- 
fested,  containing  within  itself  the  potency  of 
every  form  of  manifestation,  together  with  the 
laws  governing  those  manifestations.  Further,  it 
is  taught  that  there  is  no  creation  of  worlds  in 
the  theological  sense;  but  that  their  appearance 
is  due  strictly  to  evolution.  When  the  time  comes 
for  the  Unmanifested  to  manifest  as  an  objective 
.Universe,  which  it  does  periodically,  it  emanates 
a  Power  or  "The  First  Cause" — so  called  because 
it  itself  is  the  rootless  root  of  that  Cause,  and 
called  in  the  East  the  "Causeless  Cause."  The 
first  Cause  we  may  call  Brahma,  or  Ormazd,  or 
Osiris,  or  by  any  name  we  please.  The  projection 
into  time  of  the  influence  or  so-called  "breath  of 
Brahma"  causes  all  the  worlds  and  the  beings  upon 
them  to  gradually  appear.  They  remain  in  mani- 
festation just  as  long  as  that  influence  continues  to 
proceed  forth  in  evolution.  After  long  aeons  the 
outbreathing,  evolutionary  influence  slackens,  and 
the  universe  begins  to  go  into  obscuration,  or 
pralaya,  until,  the  "breath"  being  fully  indrawn, 
no  objects  remain,  because  nothing  is  but  Brahma. 
Care  must  be  taken  by  the  student  to  make  a  dis- 
tinction between  Brahma  (the  impersonal  Para- 
brahma)  and  Brahma  the  manifested  Logos.  A 
discussion  of  the  means  used  by  this  power  in  act- 
ing would  be  out  of  place  in  this  Epitome,  but  of 
those  means  Theosophy  also  treats. 

This  breathing-forth  is  known  as  a  Manvan- 
tara,  or  the  Manifestation  of  the  world  between 
two  Manus  (from  Manu,  and  Antara  "between") 
and  the  completion  of  the  inbreathing  brings  with 

[10] 


AN      EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

it  Pralaya,  or  destruction.  It  is  from  these  truths 
that  the  erroneous  doctrines  of  "creation"  and  the 
"last  judgment"  have  sprung.  Such  Manvantaras 
and  Pralayas  have  eternally  occurred,  and  will 
continue  to  take  place  periodically  and  forever. 

For  the  purpose  of  a  Manvantara  two  so-called 
eternal  principles  are  postulated,  that  is,  Purusha 
and  Prakriti  (or  spirit  and  matter),  because  both 
are  ever  present  and  conjoined  in  each  manifesta- 
tion. Those  terms  are  used  here  because  no 
equivalent  for  them  exists  in  English.  Purusha  is 
called  "spirit,"  and  Prakriti  "matter,"  but  this 
Purusha  is  not  the  unmanifested,  nor  is  Prakriti 
matter  as  known  to  science;  the  Aryan  Sages 
therefore  declare  that  there  is  a  higher  spirit  still, 
called  Purushottama.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
at  the  night  of  Brahma,  or  the  so-called  indrawing 
of  his  breath,  both  Purusha  and  Prakriti  are  ab- 
sorbed in  the  Unmanifested;  a  conception  which  is 
the  same  as  the  idea  underlying  the  Biblical  ex- 
pression— "remaining  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father." 

This  brings  us  to  the  doctrine  of  Universal  Evo- 
lution as  expounded  by  the  Sages  of  the  Wisdom- 
Religion.  The  Spirit,  or  Purusha,  they  say,  pro- 
ceeds from  Brahma  through  the  various  forms  of 
matter  evolved  at  the  same  time,  beginning  in  the 
world  of  the  spiritual  from  the  highest  and  in  the 
material  world  from  the  lowest  form.  The  low- 
est form  is  one  unknown  as  yet  to  modern  science. 
Thus,  therefore,  the  mineral,  vegetable  and  ani- 
mal forms  each  imprison  a  spark  of  the  Divine,  a 
portion  of  the  indivisible  Purusha. 

These  sparks  struggle  to  "return  to  the 
Father,"  or  in  other  words,  to  secure  self-con- 

[11] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

sciousness  and  at  last  come  into  the  highest  form, 
on  Earth,  that  of  man,  where  alone  self-conscious- 
ness is  possible  to  them.  The  period,  calculated 
in  human  time,  during  which  this  evolution  goes 
on  embraces  millions  of  ages.  Each  spark  of  di- 
vinity has,  therefore,  millions  of  ages  in  which  to 
accomplish  its  mission — that  of  obtaining  com- 
plete self-consciousness  while  in  the  form  of  man. 
But  by  this  is  not  meant  that  the  mere  act  of  com- 
ing into  human  form  of  itself  confers  self-con- 
sciousness upon  this  divine  spark.  That  great 
work  may  be  accomplished  during  the  Manvan- 
tara  in  which  a  Divine  spark  reaches  the  human 
form,  or  it  may  not ;  all  depends  upon  the  individu- 
al's own  will  and  efforts.  Each  particular  spirit 
thus  goes  through  the  Manvantara,  or  enters  into 
manifestation  for  its  own  enrichment  and  for  that 
of  the  Whole.  Mahatmas  and  Rishis  are  thus 
gradually  evolved  during  a  Manvantara,  and  be- 
come, after  its  expiration,  planetary  spirits,  who 
guide  the  evolutions  of  other  future  planets.  The 
planetary  spirits  of  our  globe  are  those  who  in 
previous  Manvantaras — or  days  of  Brahma — 
made  the  efforts,  and  became  in  the  course  of  that 
long  period  Mahatmas. 

Each  Manvantara  is  for  the  same  end  and  pur- 
pose, so  that  the  Mahatmas  who  have  now  at- 
tained those  heights,  or  those  who  may  become 
such  in  the  succeeding  years  of  the  present  Man- 
vantara, will  probably  be  the  planetary  spirits  of 
the  next  Manvantara  for  this  or  other  planets. 
This  system  is  thus  seen  to  be  based  upon  the  iden- 
tity of  Spiritual  Being,  and,  under  the  name  of 
"Universal  Brotherhood,"  constitutes  the  basic 

[12] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

idea  of  the  Theosophical  Society,  whose  object  is 
the  realization  of  that  Brotherhood  among  men. 

The  Sages  say  that  this  Purusha  is  the  basis  of 
all  manifested  objects.  Without  it  nothing  could 
exist  or  cohere.  It  interpenetrates  everything  ev- 
erywhere. It  is  the  reality  of  which,  or  upon 
which,  those  things  called  real  by  us  are  mere  im- 
ages. As  Purusha  reaches  to  and  embraces  all 
beings,  they  are  all  connected  together;  and  in  or 
on  the  plane  where  that  Purusha  is,  there  is  a  per- 
fect consciousness  of  every  act,  thought,  object, 
and  circumstance,  whether  supposed  to  occur 
there,  or  on  this  plane,  or  any  other.  For  below 
the  spirit  and  above  the  intellect  is  a  plane  of  con- 
sciousness in  which  experiences  are  noted,  com- 
monly called  man's  "spiritual  nature;"  this  is  fre- 
quently said  to  be  as  susceptible  of  culture  as  his 
body  or  his  intellect. 

This  upper  plane  is  the  real  register  of  all  sen- 
sations and  experiences,  although  there  are  other 
registering  planes.  It  is  sometimes  called  the 
"subconscious  mind."  Theosophy,  however,  holds 
that  it  is  a  misuse  of  terms  to  say  that  the  spiritual 
nature  can  be  cultivated.  The  real  object  to  be 
kept  in  view  is  to  so  open  up  or  make  porous  the 
lower  nature  that  the  spiritual  nature  may  shine 
through  it  and  become  the  guide  and  ruler.  It  is 
only  "cultivated"  in  the  sense  of  having  a  vehicle 
prepared  for  its  use,  into  which  it  may  descend. 
In  other  words,  it  is  held  that  the  real  man,  who 
is  the  higher  self — being  the  spark  of  the  Divine 
before  alluded  to — overshadows  the  visible  being, 
which  has  the  possibility  of  becoming  united  to 
that  spark.  Thus  it  is  said  that  the  higher  Spirit 
is  not  in  the  man,  but  above  him.  It  is  always 

[13] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

peaceful,  unconcerned,  blissful,  and  full  of  abso- 
lute knowledge.  It  continually  partakes  of  the 
Divine  state,  being  continually  that  state  itself, 
"conjoined  with  the  Gods,  it  feeds  upon  Ambro- 
sia." The  object  of  the  student  is  to  let  the  light 
of  that  spirit  shine  through  the  lower  coverings. 

This  "spiritual  culture"  is  only  attainable  as  the 
grosser  interests,  passions,  and  demands  of  the 
flesh  are  subordinated  to  the  interests,  aspirations 
and  needs  of  the  higher  nature;  and  this  is  a  mat- 
ter of  both  system  and  established  law. 

This  spirit  can  only  become  the  ruler  when  the 
firm  intellectual  acknowledgment  or  admission  is 
first  made  that  IT  alone  is.  And,  as  stated  above, 
it  being  not  only  the  person  concerned  but  also  the 
whole,  all  selfishness  must  be  eliminated  from  the 
lower  nature  before  its  divine  state  can  be  reached. 
So  long  as  the  smallest  personal  or  selfish  desire — 
even  for  spiritual  attainment  for  our  own  sake — 
remains,  so  long  is  the  desired  end  put  off.  Hence 
the  above  term  "demands  of  the  flesh"  really  cov- 
ers also  demands  that  are  not  of  the  flesh,  and  its 
proper  rendering  would  be  "desires  of  the  per- 
sonal nature,  including  those  of  the  individual 
soul." 

When  systematically  trained  in  accordance  with 
the  aforesaid  system  and  law,  men  attain  to  clear 
insight  into  the  immaterial,  spiritual  world,  and 
their  interior  faculties  apprehend  truth  as  imme- 
diately and  readily  as  physical  faculties  grasp  the 
things  of  sense,  or  mental  faculties  those  of  rea- 
son. Or,  in  the  words  used  by  some  of  them, 
"They  are  able  to  look  directly  upon  ideas;"  and 
hence  their  testimony  to  such  truth  is  as  trustwor- 

[14] 


AN      EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

thy  as  is  that  of  scientists  or  philosophers  to  truth 
in  their  respective  fields. 

In  the  course  of  this  spiritual  training  such  men 
acquire  perception  of,  and  control  over,  various 
forces  in  Nature  unknown  to  other  men,  and  thus 
are  able  to  perform  works  usually  called  "mirac- 
ulous," though  really  but  the  result  of  larger 
knowledge  of  natural  law.  What  these  powers 
are  may  be  found  in  Patanjali's  "Yoga  Philos- 
ophy." 

Their  testimony  as  to  super-sensuous  truth,  veri- 
fied by  their  possession  of  such  powers,  challenges 
candid  examination  from  every  religious  mind. 

Turning  now  to  the  system  expounded  by  these 
sages,  we  find,  in  the  first  place,  an  account  of  cos- 
mogony, the  past  and  future  of  this  earth  and 
other  planets,  the  evolution  of  life  through  ele- 
mental, mineral,  vegetable,  animal  and  human 
forms,  as  they  are  called. 

These  "passive  life  elementals"  are  unknown 
to  modern  science,  though  sometimes  approached 
by  it  as  a  subtle  material  agent  in  the  production 
of  life,  whereas  they  are  a  form  of  life  itself. 

Each  Kalpa,  or  grand  period,  is  divided  into 
four  ages  or  yugas,  each  lasting  many  thousands 
of  years,  and  each  one  being  marked  by  a  predom- 
inant characteristic.  These  are  the  Satya-yug  (or 
age  of  truth),  the  Tretya-yug,  the  Dvapara-yug, 
and  our  present  Kali-yug  (or  age  of  darkness), 
which  began  five  thousand  years  back.  The  word 
"darkness"  here  refers  to  spiritual  and  not  mate- 
rial darkness.  In  this  age,  however,  all  causes 
bring  about  their  effects  much  more  rapidly  than 
in  any  other  age — a  fact  due  to  the  intensified  mo- 
mentum of  "evil,"  as  the  course  of  its  cycle  is 

[15] 


AN       EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

about  rounding  towards  that  of  a  new  cycle  of 
truth.  Thus  a  sincere  lover  of  the  race  can  accom- 
plish more  in  three  incarnations  during  Kali-Yuga, 
than  he  could  in  a  much  greater  number  in  any 
other  age.  The  darkness  of  this  age  is  not  abso- 
lute, but  is  greater  than  that  of  other  ages;  its 
main  tendency  being  towards  materiality,  while 
having  some  mitigation  in  occasional  ethical  or 
scientific  advance  conducive  to  the  well-being  of 
the  race,  by  the  removal  of  immediate  causes  of 
crime  or  disease. 

Our  earth  is  one  of  a  chain  of  seven  planets,  it 
alone  being  on  the  visible  plane,  while  the  six  oth- 
ers are  on  different  planes,  and  therefore  invis- 
ible. (The  other  planets  of  our  solar  system 
belong  each  to  a  chain  of  seven.)  And  the  life- 
wave  passes  from  the  higher  to  the  lower  in  the 
chain  until  it  reaches  our  earth,  and  then  ascends 
and  passes  to  the  three  others  on  the  opposite  arc, 
and  thus  seven  times.  The  evolution  of  forms 
is  coincident  with  this  progress,  the  tide  of  life 
bearing  with  it  the  mineral  and  vegetable  forms, 
until  each  globe  in  turn  is  ready  to  receive  the 
human  life  wave.  Of  these  globes  our  earth  is 
the  fourth. 

Humanity  passes  from  globe  to  globe  in  a  series 
of  Rounds,  first  circling  about  each  globe,  and  rein- 
carnating upon  it  a  fixed  number  of  times.  Con- 
cerning the  human  evolution  on  the  concealed 
planets  or  globes  little  is  permitted  to  be  said.  We 
have  to  concern  ourselves  with  our  Earth  alone. 
The  latter,  when  the  wave  of  humanity  has 
reached  it  for  the  last  time  (in  this,  our  Fourth 
Round),  began  to  evolute  man,  subdividing  him 
into  races.  Each  of  these  races  when  it  has, 

[16] 


AN      EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

through  evolution,  reached  the  period  known  as 
"the  moment  of  choice"  and  decided  its  future 
destiny  as  an  individual  race,  begins  to  disappear. 
The  races  are  separated,  moreover,  from  each 
other  by  catastrophes  of  nature,  such  as  the  sub- 
sidence of  continents  and  great  natural  convul- 
sions. Coincidently  with  the  development  of  races 
the  development  of  specialized  senses  takes  place; 
thus  our  fifth  race  has  so  far  developed  five  senses. 

The  Sages  further  tell  us  that  the  affairs  of  this 
world  and  its  people  are  subject  to  cyclic  laws,  and 
during  any  one  cycle  the  rate  or  quality  of  prog- 
ress appertaining  to  a  different  cycle  is  not  pos- 
sible. These  cyclic  laws  operate  in  each  age.  As 
the  ages  grow  darker  the  same  laws  prevail,  only 
the  cycles  are  shorter;  that  is,  they  are  the  same 
length  in  the  absolute  sense,  but  go  over  the  given 
limit  in  a  shorter  period  of  time.  These  laws  im- 
pose restrictions  on  the  progress  of  the  race.  In 
a  cycle,  where  all  is  ascending  and  descending,  the 
Adepts  must  wait  until  the  time  comes  before  they 
can  aid  the  race  to  ascend.  They  cannot,  and 
must  not,  interfere  with  Karmic  law.  Thus  they 
begin  to  work  actively  again  in  the  spiritual  sense, 
when  the  cycle  is  known  by  them  to  be  approach- 
ing its  turning  point. 

At  the  same  time  these  cycles  have  no  hard  lines 
or  points  of  departure  or  inception,  inasmuch  as 
one  may  be  ending  or  drawing  to  a  close  for  some 
time  after  another  has  already  begun.  They  thus 
overlap  and  shade  into  one  another,  as  day  does 
into  night;  and  it  is  only  when  the  one  has  com- 
pletelv  ended  and  the  other  has  really  begun  by 
bringing  out  its  blossoms,  that  we  can  say  we  are 
in  a  new  cycle.  It  may  be  illustrated  by  compar- 

[17] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

ing  two  adjacent  cycles  to  two  interlaced  circles, 
where  the  circumference  of  one  touches  the  center 
of  the  other,  so  that  the  moment  where  one  ended 
and  the  other  began  would  be  at  the  point  where 
the  circumferences  intersected  each  other.  Or  by 
imagining  a  man  as  representing,  in  the  act  of 
walking,  the  progress  of  the  cycles;  his  rate  of  ad- 
vancement can  only  be  obtained  by  taking  the  dis- 
tance covered  by  his  paces,  the  points  at  the  mid- 
dle of  each  pace,  between  the  feet,  being  the  begin- 
ning of  cycles  and  their  ending. 

The  cyclic  progress  is  assisted,  or  the  deteriora- 
tion further  permitted,  in  this  way;  at  a  time  when 
the  cycle  is  ascending,  developed  and  progressed 
Beings,  known  in  Sanscrit  by  the  term  "Jnanis," 
descend  to  this  earth  from  other  spheres  where 
the  cycle  is  going  down,  in  order  that  they  may 
also  help  the  spiritual  progress  of  this  globe.  In 
like  manner  they  leave  this  sphere  when  our  cycle 
approaches  darkness.  These  Jnanis  must  not, 
however,  be  confounded  with  the  Mahatmas  and 
Adepts  mentioned  above.  The  right  aim  of  true 
Theosophists  should,  therefore,  be  so  to  live  that 
their  influence  may  be  conducive  for  the  dispelling 
of  darkness  to  the  end  that  such  Jnanis  may  turn 
again  towards  this  sphere. 

Theosophy  also  teaches  the  existence  of  a  uni- 
versal diffused  and  highly  ethereal  medium,  which 
has  been  called  the  "Astral  Light"  and  "Akasa." 
It  is  the  repository  of  all  past,  present,  and  future 
events,  and  in  it  are  recorded  the  effects  of  spirit- 
ual causes,  and  of  all  acts  and  thoughts  from  the 
direction  of  either  spirit  or  matter.  It  may  be 
called  the  Book  of  the  Recording  Angel. 

[18] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

Akasa,  however,  is  a  misnomer  when  it  is  con- 
fused with  Ether  or  the  astral  light  of  the  Kabal- 
ists.  Akasa  is  the  noumenon  of  the  phenomenal 
Ether  or  astral  light  proper,  for  Akasa  is  infinite, 
impartite,  intangible,  its  only  production  being 
Sound.* 

And  this  astral  light  is  material  and  not  spirit. 
It  is,  in  fact,  the  lower  principle  of  that  cosmic 
body  of  which  akasa  is  the  highest.  It  has  the 
power  of  retaining  all  images.  This  includes  a 
statement  that  each  thought  as  well  as  word  and 
act  makes  an  image  there.  These  images  may  be 
said  to  have  two  lives.  First.  Their  own  as  an 
image.  Second.  The  impress  left  by  them  in  the 
matrix  of  the  astral  light.  In  the  upper  realm  of 
this  light  there  is  no  such  thing  as  space  or  time 
in  the  human  sense.  All  future  events  are  the 
thoughts  and  acts  of  men;  these  are  producers  in 
advance  of  the  picture  of  the  event  which  is  to 
occur.  Ordinary  men  continually,  recklessly,  and 
wickedly,  are  making  these  events  sure  to  come  to 
pass,  but  the  Sages,  Mahatmas,  and  the  Adepts  of 
the"  good  law,  make  only  such  pictures  as  are  in 
accordance  with  Divine  law,  because  they  control 
the  production  of  their  thought.  In  the  astral 
light  are  all  the  differentiated  sounds  as  well.  The 
elementals  are  energic  centers  in  it.  The  shades 
of  departed  human  beings  and  animals  are  also 
there.  Hence,  any  seer  or  entranced  person  can 
see  in  it  all  that  anyone  has  done  or  said,  as  well 
as  that  which  has  happened  to  anyone  with  whom 
he  is  connected.  Hence,  also,  the  identity  of  de- 


*Akasa  in  the  mysticism  of  the  Esoteric  Philosophy  is,  properly  speaking, 
the  female  "Holy  Ghost;"  "Sound"  or  speech  being  the  Logos — the  manifested 
Verbum  of  the  unmanifested  Mother.  See  Sankhyasara,"  Preface,  page  33, 
et  seq. 


[19] 


AN       EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

ceased  persons — who  are  supposed  to  report  spe- 
cially out  of  this  plane — is  not  to  be  concluded 
from  the  giving  of  forgotten  or  unknown  words, 
facts,  or  ideas.  Out  of  this  plane  of  matter  can 
be  taken  the  pictures  of  all  who  have  ever  lived, 
and  then  reflected  on  a  suitable  magneto-electrical 
surface,  so  as  to  seem  like  the  apparition  of  the 
deceased,  producing  all  the  sensations  of  weight, 
hardness,  and  extension. 

Through  the  means  of  the  Astral  Light  and  the 
help  of  Elementals,  the  various  material  elements 
may  be  drawn  down  and  precipitated  from  the 
atmosphere  upon  either  a  plane  surface  or  in  the 
form  of  a  solid  object;  this  precipitation  may  be 
made  permanent,  or  it  may  be  of  such  a  light  co- 
hesive power  as  soon  to  fade  away.  But  the  help 
of  the  elementals  can  only  be  obtained  by  a  strong 
will  added  to  a  complete  knowledge  of  the  laws 
which  govern  the  being  of  the  elementals.  It  is 
useless  to  give  further  details  on  this  point;  first, 
because  the  untrained  student  cannot  understand; 
and  second,  the  complete  explanation  is  not  per- 
mitted, were  it  even  possible  in  this  space. 

The  world  of  the  elementals  is  an  important 
factor  in  our  world  and  in  the  course  of  the  stu- 
dent. Each  thought  as  it  is  evolved  by  a  man  coal- 
esces instantly  with  an  elemental,  and  is  then  be- 
yond the  man's  power. 

It  can  easily  be  seen  that  this  process  is  going 
on  every  instant.  Therefore,  each  thought  exists 
as  an  entity.  Its  length  of  life  depends  on  two 
things:  (a)  The  original  force  of  the  person's 
will  and  thought;  (b)  The  power  of  the  elemental 
which  coalesced  with  it,  the  latter  being  deter- 
mined by  the  class  to  which  the  elemental  belongs. 

[20] 


AN      EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

This  is  the  case  with  good  and  bad  thoughts  alike, 
and  as  the  will  beneath  the  generality  of  wicked 
thoughts  is  usually  powerful,  we  can  see  that  the 
result  is  very  important,  because  the  elemental  has 
no  conscience  and  obtains  its  constitution  and  direc- 
tion from  the  thought  it  may  from  time  to  time 
carry. 

Each  human  being  has  his  own  elementals  that 
partake  of  his  nature  and  his  thoughts.  If  you  fix 
your  thoughts  upon  a  person  in  anger,  or  in  criti- 
cal, uncharitable  judgment,  you  attract  to  yourself 
a  number  of  those  elementals  that  belong  to,  gen- 
erate, and  are  generated  by  this  particular  fault 
or  failing,  and  they  precipitate  themselves  upon 
you.  Hence,  through  the  injustice  of  your  merely 
human  condemnation,  which  cannot  know  the 
source  and  causes  of  the  action  of  another,  you  at 
once  become  a  sharer  of  his  fault  or  failing  by 
your  own  act,  and  the  spirit  expelled  returns  "with 
seven  devils  worse  than  himself." 

This  is  the  origin  of  the  popular  saying  that 
"curses,  like  chickens,  come  home  to  roost,"  and 
has  its  root  in  the  laws  governing  magnetic  affinity. 

In  the  Kali-Yuga  we  are  hypnotized  by  the  effect 
of  the  immense  body  of  images  in  the  Astral 
Light,  compounded  of  all  the  deeds,  thoughts,  and 
so  forth  of  our  ancestors,  whose  lives  tended  in  a 
material  direction.  These  images  influence  the  in- 
ner man — who  is  conscious  of  them — by  sugges- 
tion. In  a  brighter  age  the  influence  of  such  im- 
ages would  be  towards  Truth.  The  effect  of  the 
Astral  Light,  as  thus  molded  and  painted  by  us, 
will  remain  so  long  as  we  continue  to  place  those 
images  there,  and  it  thus  becomes  our  judge  and 
our  executioner.  Every  universal  law  thus  con- 

[21] 


AN      EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

tains  within  itself  the  means  for  its  own  accom- 
plishment and  the  punishment  for  its  violation, 
and  requires  no  further  authority  to  postulate  it  or 
to  carry  out  its  decrees. 

The  Astral  Light  by  its  inherent  action  both 
evolves  and  destroys  forms.  It  is  the  universal 
register.  Its  chief  office  is  that  of  a  vehicle  for  the 
operation  of  the  laws  of  Karma,  or  the  progress 
of  the  principle  of  life,  and  it  is  thus  in  a  deep 
spiritual  sense  a  medium  or  "mediator"  between 
man  and  his  Deity — his  higher  spirit. 

Theosophy  also  tells  of  the  origin,  history,  de- 
velopment and  destiny  of  mankind. 

Upon  the  subject  of  Man  it  teaches: 

First.  That  each  spirit  is  a  manifestation  of 
the  One  Spirit,  and  thus  a  part  of  all.  It  passes 
through  a  series  of  experiences  in  incarnation,  and 
is  destined  to  ultimate  reunion  with  the  Divine. 

Second.  That  this  incarnation  is  not  single  but 
repeated,  each  individuality  becoming  re-embod- 
ied during  numerous  existences  in  successive  races 
and  planets  of  our  chain,  and  accumulating  the 
experiences  of  each  incarnation  towards  its  per- 
fection. 

Third.  That  between  adjacent  incarnations, 
after  grosser  elements  are  first  purged  away, 
comes  a  period  of  comparative  rest  and  refresh- 
ment, called  Devachan — the  soul  being  therein 
prepared  for  its  next  advent  into  material  life. 

The  constitution  of  man  is  subdivided  in  a  sep- 
tenary manner,  the  main  divisions  being  those  of 
body,  soul  and  spirit.  These  divisions  and  their 
relative  development  govern  his  subjective  con- 
dition after  death.  The  real  division  cannot  be 
understood,  and  must  for  a  time  remain  esoteric, 

[22] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

because  it  requires  certain  senses  not  usually  de- 
veloped for  its  understanding.  If  the  present 
seven-fold  division,  as  given  by  Theosophical  writ- 
ers is  adhered  to  strictly  and  without  any  condi- 
tional statement,  it  will  give  rise  to  controversy 
or  error.  For  instance,  Spirit  is  not  a  seventh 
principle.  It  is  the  synthesis,  or  the  whole,  and  is 
equally  present  in  the  other  six.  The  present  var- 
ious divisions  can  only  be  used  as  a  general  work- 
ing hypothesis,  to  be  developed  and  corrected  as 
students  advance  and  themselves  develop. 

The  state  of  spiritual  but  comparative  rest 
known  as  Devachan  is  not  an  eternal  one,  and  so 
is  not  the  same  as  the  eternal  heaven  of  Chris- 
tianity. Nor  does  "hell"  correspond  to  the  state 
known  to  Theosophical  writers  as  Avitchi. 

All  such  painful  states  are  transitory  and  puri- 
ficatory states.  When  those  are  passed  the  indi- 
vidual goes  into  Devachan. 

"Hell"  and  Avitchi  are  thus  not  the  same. 
Avitchi  is  the  same  as  the  "second  death,"  as  it  is 
in  fact  annihilation  that  only  comes  to  the  "black 
Magician"  or  spiritually  wicked,  as  will  be  seen 
further  on. 

The  nature  of  each  incarnation  depends  upon 
the  balance  as  struck  of  the  merit  and  demerit  of 
the  previous  life  or  lives — upon  the  way  in  which 
the  man  has  lived  and  thought;  and  this  law  is 
inflexible  and  wholly  just. 

"Karma" — a  term  signifying  two  things,  the 
law  of  ethical  causation  (Whatsoever  a  man  sow- 
eth,  that  shall  he  also  reap)  ;  and  the  balance  or 
excess  of  merit  or  demerit  in  any  individual,  'deter- 
mines also  the  main  experiences  of  joy  and  sorrow 
in  each  incarnation,  so  that  what  we  call  "luck" 

[23] 


AN       EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

is  in  reality  "desert" — desert  acquired  in  past  ex- 
istence. 

Karma  is  not  all  exhausted  in  a  single  life,  nor 
is  a  person  necessarily  in  this  life  experiencing  the 
effect  of  all  his  previous  Karma;  for  some  may 
be  held  back  by  various  causes.  The  principle 
cause  is  the  failure  of  the  Ego  to  acquire  a  body 
which  will  furnish  the  instrument  or  apparatus  in 
and  by  which  the  meditation  or  thoughts  of  pre- 
vious lives  can  have  their  effect  and  be  ripened. 
Hence  it  is  held  that  there  is  a  mysterious  power 
in  the  man's  thoughts  during  a  life,  sure  to 
bring  about  its  results  in  either  an  immediately 
succeeding  life  or  in  one  many  lives  distant;  that 
is,  in  whatever  life  the  Ego  obtains  a  body  cap- 
able of  being  the  focus,  apparatus,  or  instrument 
for  the  ripening  of  past  Karma.  There  is  also  a 
swaying  or  diverging  power  in  Karma  in  its  effects 
upon  the  soul,  for  a  certain  course  of  life — or 
thought — will  influence  the  soul  in  that  direction 
for  sometimes  three  lives,  before  the  beneficial 
or  bad  effect  of  any  other  sort  of  Karma  can  be 
felt.  Nor  does  it  follow  that  every  minute  por- 
tion of  Karma  must  be  felt  in  the  same  detail  as 
when  produced,  for  several  sorts  of  Karma  may 
come  to  a  head  together  at  one  point  in  the  life, 
and,  by  their  combined  effect,  produce  a  result 
which,  while,  as  a  whole,  accuratelv  representing 
all  the  elements  in  it,  still  is  a  different  Karma 
from  each  single  component  part.  This  may  be 
known  as  the  nullification  of  the  postulated  effect 
of  the  classes  of  Karma  involved. 

The  process  of  evolution  up  to  reunion  with  the 
Divine  is  and  includes  successive  elevation  from 
rank  to  rank  of  power  and  usefulness.  The  most 

[24] 


AN      EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

exalted  beings  still  in  the  flesh  are  known  as  Sages, 
Rishis,  Brothers,  Masters.  Their  great  function 
being  the  preservation  at  all  times,  and  when  cyclic 
laws  permit,  the  extension  of  spiritual  knowledge 
and  influence. 

When  union  with  the  Divine  is  effected,  all  the 
events  and  experiences  of  each  incarnation  are 
known. 

As  to  the  process  of  spiritual  development, 
Theosophy  teaches : 

First.  That  the  essence  of  the  process  lies  in 
the  securing  of  supremacy,  to  the  highest,  the  spir- 
itual, element  of  man's  nature. 

Second.  That  this  is  attained  along  four  lines, 
among  others, — 

(a)  The  entire  eradication  of  selfishness 
in  all  forms,  and  the  cultivation  of  broad, 
generous   sympathy   in,   and   effort   for  the 
good  of  others. 

(b)  The  absolute  cultivation  of  the  inner, 
spiritual  man  by  meditation,  by  reaching  to 
and  communion  with  the  Divine,  and  by  exer- 
cise of  the  kind  described  by  Patanjali,  i.  e., 
incessant  striving  to  an  ideal  end. 

(c)  The  control  of  fleshly  appetites  and 
desires,   all  lower,  material  interests  being 
deliberately  subordinated  to  the  behests  of 
the  spirit. 

(d)  The  careful  performance   of   every 
duty  belonging  to  one's  station  in  life,  with- 
out desire  for  reward,  leaving  results   for 
Divine  law. 

Third.  That  while  the  above  is  incumbent  on 
and  practicable  by  all  religiously  disposed  men,  a 
yet  higher  plane  of  spiritual  attainment  is  condi- 

[25] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

tioned  upon  a  specific  course  of  training,  physical, 
intellectual  and  spiritual,  by  which  the  internal 
faculties  are  first  aroused  and  then  developed. 

Fourth.  That  an  extension  of  this  process  is 
reached  in  Adeptship,  Mahatmaship,  or  the  states 
of  Rishis,  Sages  and  Dhyan  Chohans,  which  are 
all  exalted  stages,  attained  by  laborious  self-dis- 
cipline and  hardship,  protracted  through  possibly 
many  incarnations,  and  with  many  degrees  of  ini- 
tiation and  preferment,  beyond  which  are  yet 
other  stages  ever  approaching  the  Divine. 

As  to  the  rationale  of  spiritual  development  it 
asserts: 

First.  That  the  process  takes  place  entirely 
within  the  individual  himself,  the  motive,  the  ef- 
fort, and  the  result  proceeding  from  his  own  inner 
nature,  along  the  lines  of  self-evolution. 

Second.  That,  however  personal  and  interior, 
this  process  is  not  unaided,  being  possible,  in  fact, 
only  through  close  communion  with  the  supreme 
source  of  all  strength. 

As  to  the  degree  of  advancement  in  incarnations 
it  holds : 

First.  That  even  a  mere  intellectual  acquaint- 
ance with  Theosophic  truth  has  great  value  in  fit- 
ting the  individual  for  a  step  upwards  in  his  next 
earth-life,  as  it  gives  an  impulse  in  that  direction. 

Second.  That  still  more  is  gained  by  a  career 
of  duty,  piety  and  beneficence. 

Third.  That  a  still  greater  advance  is  attained 
by  the  attentive  and  devoted  use  of  the  means  to 
spirituaKculture  heretofore  stated. 

Fourth.  That  every  race  and  individual  of  it 
reaches  in  evolution  a  period  known  as  "the  mo- 
ment of  choice,"  when  they  decide  for  themselves 

[26] 


AN      EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

their  future  destiny  by  a  deliberate  and  conscious 
choice  between  eternal  life  and  death,  and  that 
this  right  of  choice  is  the  peculiar  appanage  of  the 
free  soul.  It  cannot  be  exercised  until  the  man 
has  realized  the  soul  within  him,  and  until  that 
soul  has  attained  some  measure  of  self-conscious- 
ness in  the  body.  The  moment  of  choice  is  not  a 
fixed  period  of  time;  it  is  made  up  of  all  moments. 
It  cannot  come  unless  all  the  previous  lives  have 
led  up  to  it.  For  the  race  as  a  whole  it  has  not 
yet  come.  Any  individual  can  hasten  the  advent  of 
this  period  for  himself  under  the  previously  stated 
law  of  the  ripening  of  Karma.  Should  he  then 
fail  to  choose  right  he  is  not  wholly  condemned, 
for  the  economy  of  nature  provides  that  he  shall 
again  and  again  have  the  opportunity  of  choice 
when  the  moment  arrives  for  the  whole  race. 
After  this  period  the  race,  having  blossomed, 
tends  towards  its  dissolution.  A  few  individuals 
of  it  will  have  outstripped  its  progress  and  at- 
tained Adeptship  or  Mahatmaship.  The  main 
body,  who  have  chosen  aright,  but  who  have  not 
attained  salvation,  pass  into  the  subjective  condi- 
tion, there  to  await  the  influx  of  the  human  life 
wave  into  the  next  globe,  which  they  are  the  first 
souls  to  people;  the  deliberate  choosers  of  evil, 
whose  lives  are  passed  in  great  spiritual  wicked- 
ness (for  evil  done  for  the  sheer  love  of  evil  per 
se),  sever  the  connection  with  the  Divine  Spirit, 
or  the  Monad,  which  forever  abandons  the  human 
Ego.  Such  Egos  pass  into  the  misery  of  the 
eighth  sphere,  as  far  as  we  understand,  there  to 
remain  until  the  separation  between  what  they 
had  thus  cultivated  and  the  personal  Ishwara  or 
divine  spark  is  complete.  But  this  tenet  has  never 


AN      EPITOME       OF      THEOSOPHY 

been  explained  to  us  by  the  Masters,  who  have 
always  refused  to  answer  and  to  explain  it  con- 
clusively. At  the  next  Manvantara  that  Divine 
Spark  will  probably  begin  again  the  long  evolu- 
tionary journey,  being  cast  into  the  stream  of  life 
at  the  source  and  passing  upward  again  through 
all  the  lower  forms. 

So  long  as  the  connection  with  the  Divine  Mo- 
nad is  not  severed,  this  annihilation  of  personality 
cannot  take  place.  Something  of  that  personality 
will  always  remain  attached  to  the  immortal  Ego. 
Even  after  such  severance  the  human  being  may 
live  on,  a  man  among  men — a  soulless  being. 
This  disappointment,  so  to  call  it,  of  the  Divine 
Spark  by  depriving  it  of  its  chosen  vehicle  consti- 
tutes the  "sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,"  which  its 
very  nature  forbade  it  to  pardon,  because  it  cannot 
continue  an  association  with  principles  which  have 
become  degraded  and  vitiated  in  the  absolute 
sense,  so  that  they  no  longer  respond  to  cyclic  or 
evolutionary  impulses,  but,  weighted  by  their  own 
nature,  sink  to  the  lowest  depths  of  matter.  The 
connection,  once  wholly  broken,  cannot  in  the 
nature  of  Being  be  resumed.  But  innumerable 
opportunities  for  return  offer  themselves  through- 
out the  dissolving  process,  which  lasts  thousands 
of  years. 

There  is  also  a  fate  that  comes  to  even  Adepts 
of  the  Good  Law  which  is  somewhat  similar  to  a 
loss  of  "heaven"  after  its  enjoyment  for  incalcu- 
lable periods  of  time.  When  the  Adept  has 
reached  a  certain  very  high  point  in  his  evolution 
he  may,  by  a  mere  wish,  become  what  the  Hindus 
call  a  "Deva" — or  lesser  god.  If  he  does  this, 
then,  although  he  will  enjoy  the  bliss  and  power 

[28] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

of  that  state  for  a  vast  length  of  time,  he  will  not 
at  the  next  Pralaya  partake  of  the  conscious  life 
"in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,"  but  has  to  pass 
down  into  matter  at  the  next  new  "creation,"  per- 
forming certain  functions  that  could  not  now  be 
made  clear,  and  has  to  come  up  again  through  the 
elemental  world;  but  this  fate  is  not  like  that  of 
the  Black  Magician  who  falls  into  Avitchi.  And 
again  between  the  two  he  can  choose  the  middle 
state  and  become  a  Nirmanakaya — one  who  gives 
up  the  bliss  of  Nirvana  and  remains  in  conscious 
existence  outside  of  his  body  after  its  death;  in 
order  to  help  Humanity.  This  is  the  greatest  sac- 
rifice he  can  do  for  mankind.  By  advancement 
from  one  degree  of  interest  and  comparative  at- 
tainment to  another  as  above  stated,  the  student 
hastens  the  advent  of  the  moment  of  choice,  after 
which  his  rate  of  progress  is  greatly  intensified. 

It  may  be  added  that  Theosophy  is  the  only  sys- 
tem of  religion  and  philosophy  which  gives  satis- 
factory explanation  of  such  problems  as  these: 

First.  The  object,  use,  and  inhabitation  of 
other  planets  than  this  earth,  which  planets  serve 
to  complete  and  prolong  the  evolutionary  course, 
and  to  fill  the  required  measure  of  the  universal 
experience  of  souls. 

Second.  The  geological  cataclysms  of  earth; 
the  frequent  absence  of  intermediate  types  in  its 
fauna;  the  occurrence  of  architectural  and  other 
relics  of  races  now  lost,  and  as  to  which  ordinary 
science  has  nothing  but  vain  conjecture;  the  nature 
of  extinct  civilizations  and  the  causes  of  their  ex- 
tinction; the  persistence  of  savagery  and  the  un- 
equal development  of  existing  civilizations;  the 
differences,  physical  and  internal,  between  the  var- 

[29] 


AN      EPITOME      OF      THEOSOPHY 

ious  races  of  men;  the  line  of  future  development. 

Third.  The  contrasts  and  unisons  of  the 
world's  faiths,  and  the  common  foundation  under- 
lying them  all. 

Fourth.  The  existence  of  evil,  of  suffering,  and 
of  sorrow — a  hopeless  puzzle  to  the  mere  philan- 
thropist or  theologian. 

Fifth.  The  inequalities  in  social  condition  and 
privilege ;  the  sharp  contrasts  between  wealth  and 
poverty,  intelligence  and  stupidity,  culture  and  ig- 
norance, virtue  and  vileness;  the  appearance  of 
men  of  genius  in  families  destitute  of  it,  as  well  as 
other  facts  in  conflict  with  the  law  of  heredity; 
the  frequent  cases  of  unfitness  of  environment 
around  individuals,  so  sore  as  to  embitter  disposi- 
tion, hamper  aspiration,  and  paralyze  endeavor; 
the  violent  antithesis  between  character  and  condi- 
tion; the  occurrence  of  accident,  misfortune  and 
untimely  death — all  of  them  problems  solvable 
only  by  either  the  conventional  theory  of  Divine 
caprice  or  the  Theosophic  doctrines  of  Karma  and 
Reincarnation. 

Sixth.  The  possession  by  individuals  of  psychic 
powers — clairvoyance,  clairaudience,  etc.,  as  well 
as  the  phenomena  of  psychometry  and  statuvolism. 

Seventh.  The  true  nature  of  genuine  phenom- 
ena in  spiritualism,  and  the  proper  antidote  to 
superstition  and  to  exaggerated  expectation. 

Eighth.  The  failure  of  conventional  religions 
to  greatly  extend  their  areas,  reform  abuses,  reor- 
ganize society,  expand  the  idea  of  brotherhood, 
abate  discontent,  diminish  crime,  and  elevate  hu- 
manity; and  an  apparent  inadequacy  to  realize  in 
individual  lives  the  ideal  they  professedly  uphold. 


[30] 


Other  Writings 
By  William  Q.  Judge 


The  Ocean  of  Theosophy — 

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Echoes  From  the  Orient — 

A  series  of  Chapters  written  in  the  most  ad- 
mirable style,  giving  an  outline  of  Theos- 
ophy and  the  Theosophical  Movement,  and 
treating  of  the  great  subjects  of  Masters, 
Karma,  Reincarnation  and  Evolution.  Paper, 
35c;  Cloth $0.60 

Letters  That  Have  Helped  Me— 

Actual  Letters,  embodying  Lessons  and  Guid- 
ance of  direct  personal  value  to  every  Stu- 
dent and  Disciple.  Volumes  I  and  II  bound 
together.  Cloth $1.50 

The  Bhagavad-Gita — 

Containing  the  Dialogue  between  Krishna, 
the  Supreme  Master  of  Devotion,  and  Arjuna, 
his  Disciple.  Rendered  into  exquisite  par- 
allel terms  in  the  English  tongue.  Cloth, 
$1.25  ;  Leather $1.50 

Notes  on  the  Bhagavad-Gita — 

Commentaries  of  the  greatest  service  to  sin- 
cere students.  The  first  Seven  Chapters  by 
W.  Q.  Judge ;  the  remainder  by  his  friend 
and  colleague,  Robert  Crosbie.  Bound  in 
leather,  uniform  with  the  Bhagavad-Gita. ..  .$1.50 


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from  the  Theosophical  Movement,  and  from 
the  example  and  writings  of  the  representa- 
tives of  that  Movement  in  the  world:  H.  P. 
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